How to Deal With Concrete Ceilings

Our expert Randall Whitehead, IALD, explains what to do when you’ve got a surface you can’t break through.

Question:

We have moved into a fantastic high-rise condominium, but we have a problem: The ceilings are concrete and we just have one junction box in the main room. How do we do anything beyond track?

First of all, congratulations for being able to buy a home in these difficult times. I am currently subletting my kitchen to a family of four. You have a problem that many condo owners face. How can you create effective lighting when there is an impenetrable surface? The answer is to create a surface that is penetrable. This involves lowering the ceiling enough to allow for recessed fixtures. More than likely, it has already been done in the kitchen and bath to get fans, HVAC and some recessed fixtures into these areas.
One of my favorite techniques is to just drop sections of ceiling with panels that appear to float away from the ceiling. Suspend these panels just far enough from the ceiling to allow for recessed remodel cans (around 6 inches). For an added layer of illumination, install a perimeter run of indirect light to bounce off the actual ceiling. The illusion is that the ceiling appears to be higher, not lower. The cost is much less than it would be to lower the whole ceiling.
A variation on this approach is to create a series of box beams (hollow beams that are open at the top) or coffers and run them from wall to wall. These not only provide a wire-way, but also a location for recessed adjustable fixtures and pendant fixtures. In addition, these beams can float slightly away from the ceiling to provide some ambient light. This is especially good for rooms where there is no electricity in the ceiling, but the power can be run through the walls.
In addition to these ceiling details, I would suggest adding wall sconces or torchieres for additional ambient illumination, plus table lamps and reading lights to create little islands of illumination.